China reports 32nd bird flu death

BEIJING (Reuters) - China reported one more death from a new strain of bird flu on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 32, with the number of infections staying at 129, the official Xinhua news agency said.

A 56-year-old man died in the central province of Henan, two weeks after his infection was confirmed, Xinhua cited a statement from the local health bureau.

The man had no direct contact with birds, but there were birdcages hanging in the corridor of the building he lived in, the report said.

The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) has said it has no evidence that the new strain of bird flu, first detected in patients in China in March, is easily transmissible between humans.

Chinese scientists have confirmed that the H7N9 strain has been transmitted to humans from chickens. But the WHO has said 40 percent of people infected with H7N9 appear to have had no contact with poultry.